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Those who rail at Israel might also recall that when the West Bank was invaded and occupied for 19 years by Jordan, Palestinians enjoyed scant academic freedom (Features, THES , July 26). Only after the recapture by Israel were the six universities for Palestinians set up there.

To suggest that the real Israeli objective is to hamper Palestinian education rather than to deter bombers and destroy the hidden bomb factories is to take an anti-Israel stance a shade too far. The real tragedy is that Palestinian statehood has been rejected on eight occasions since 1937, until last year, when Israel offered Gaza, 97 per cent of the West Bank and a share in Jerusalem, centre of Jewish faith for 3,000 years.

Wally Leaf
Wembley Park, Middlesex